Conventional vehicle lights capable of forming a specific light distribution pattern have been proposed in which the specific light distribution pattern can have a darker area where a surrounding vehicle exists in order to prevent glare light from reaching the surrounding vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles, leading vehicles and the like (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-218155 and its corresponding U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/231866A1).
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-218155 discloses a vehicle light having a plurality of light emitting devices 210R1 to 210R5 (FIG. 1A) and another plurality of light emitting devices 220L1 and 220L4 (FIG. 1B) that are horizontally arranged side by side and can be individually controlled (lighted).
The vehicle light can project light source images from the plurality of light emitting devices 210R1 to 210R5 and 220L1 to 220L4 while those images are enlarged by a projection lens (not shown). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle light can project the light source images to form a plurality of first areas PAR1 to PAR5 and another plurality of second areas PAL1 to PAL4 that are horizontally separated and are individually controlled in terms of light intensity. These plurality of areas PAR1 to PAR5 to PAL1 to PAL4 can be overlaid with each other to form a single addition light distribution pattern PA while vertical division lines LR and LL alternately appears in the light distribution pattern PA as shown in FIG. 2.
In a vehicle light with the above configuration, a particular light emitting device(s) can be turned off or controlled in light intensity in order for the vehicle light to form a desired light distribution pattern having a darker area where a surrounding vehicle exists (see the solid black area in FIG. 2). However, as the first areas PAR1 to PAR5 and the second areas PAL1 to PAL4 have the same size, the illumination range and center light intensity required for a running beam (or a so-called high beam) cannot be compatible.
In view of the desire to prevent glare light from reaching surrounding vehicles, it would be suitable to make a darkened area where a surrounding vehicle exists. However, when the surrounding vehicle is located at a farther position as shown in the leftmost column in FIG. 2 (first position), the above vehicle light may form a light distribution pattern with the darkened areas at the center and its surrounding positions. Accordingly, the darkened area may be larger than the actual area (or desired area) with respect to the surrounding vehicle.